Stutter
by AirRose
Summary: Adrien loves one girl and likes another.His love for Ladybug could never be paralleled by another, but lately, another blue haired, girl has been making her way into his heart. Kagami. But why is it that he can't help but stutter around Marinette, and could Kagami be Ladybug? Adrien isn't sure, but he is determined to find out. NOT EXACTLY ADRAGAMI! ADRINETTE, LADYNOIR, MARICHAT
1. Kagami is LB?

AN: I hate myself for writing this but it's been stuck in my head for over a month now. I am still working on the other two Miraculous stories though! Dead LB is giving me a it of a problem but i'll get through that. Lighting strikes has me stuck. I have writer's block for that one in particular but i really really want to finish it. have a weird point where i know what i want to happen but I don't know how to make it happen. get me?

Anyway this is a one shot as of now, thought i may continue as i have a very clear plot in my head. Let me know if you guys want more?

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Adrien walked out of the gym, his bag slung over his left shoulder and Plagg lazily sleeping in one of the pockets. His fencing mask hung under his arm as he calmly walked to his car. The Gorilla was waiting patiently behind the wheel, the engine running softly in the background. It had been a good practice. Monsieur D'Argencourt had commended him on his ever improving technique and he had even managed to beat Kagami twice in a row, much to her annoyance and also her excitement. Adrien always struggled against her, as she was quick witted and was light on her feet. When she had first shown up and sparred with him, he wasn't sure how she had come out of nowhere and become top of the class so quickly.

He didn't have any hard feelings of course. She was good and Adrien enjoyed having the competition since he was the best beforehand but it was definitely an adjustment he had to make. To his surprise, his father wasn't entirely too upset by this turn of events as Kagami's mother was a friend of Gabriel's and keeping his associates happy was far more important than being the best.

Regardless, today had Adrien in a good mood. He had breezed through classes and got to spend lunch with his friend's at Marinette's family's bakery. Mrs. Cheng had insisted that they stay, when they stepped through the door. Adrien almost declined but was surprised to find out from Nathalie that he was to buy himself some food that coincided with his diet as his father was busy and he needed the Gorilla for one reason or another that Adrien had not payed attention to as he was too elated to really care. Marinette's mom had made some pork dumplings and some mutton stew that was delicious. Initially, he had thought to eat a bowl and two dumplings, but as soon as he had finished and his bowl was clean, Mrs. Cheng had refilled and reserved him. While he had felt a bit guilty at indulging in the delectable food at first, he found it hard to deny Madam Cheng.

"I won't have any of that diet nonsense in this house young man," she had said serving him his third bowl of soup, "you are far too skinny and too tall. You need some meat on those bones!"

Warmth had flooded his body and a smile split his face in two. Marinette, he had noticed, had blushed profusely at her mother's, well, mothering of Adrien but he didn't mind it one bit. On the contrary, he enjoyed it immensely. Before they all left, The Du Pain-Chengs gave each of them a croissant and four macaroons and two kisses to each cheek.

Adrien's spirits had been high, feeling better than he had in a while. Perhaps it had been the decent meal that had helped him be on top of his game today, or maybe, he thought to himself, it was the fact that his friends were watching him during practice.

Usually, practices were closed and people couldn't sit in to watch but for some incredible reason, M. D'Argencourt had told them the day before that that day, their parents could come to watch. This presented a hurdle to Adrien, as he knew that his father would not have the time to watch something as silly as a practice. He had voiced this worry to Nino, not expecting anything but for him to listen and he had been thoroughly surprised to see his three best friends walking in with a banner that Marinette must have made that said:

DON'T BE FOILED

With two people fighting each other with, and Adrien had burst out laughing during his warm up, two fences. He had gotten in a bit of trouble for that but he couldn't help it when a pun was that good.

He had half a mind to ask Marinette if he could keep the banner and have her sign it as she had signed his Jagged Sone CD. He could easily hang it in his room and be constantly reminded of what a great day this regular day turned out to be. The only problem was that he had to leave right after practice since he still had a Chinese lesson and homework to deal with. He had consoled himself by promising himself that he would ask her the next day. He was determined to talk to her. Lately, Marinette had started talking easier around him. Every once in a while she still stuttered and fell over but that was only when Adrien didn't announce his presence or Marinette wasn't expecting him.

A warm smile grew on his face. Marinette seemed to be warming up to him and he couldn't be happier. Black cat bad luck be damned. He was having a fabulous day and it wasn't over yet. Later, after his lessons and homework, he had patrol with his favorite girl. Ladybug.

Nothing much had changed between them in the two years as partners but Adrien didn't mind that much. He was happy to be blessed to have met her. He was simply happy knowing that Ladybug held him in high regards and was perfectly happy to wait for as long as needed for her to realize how perfect they were for each other.

The smile on his face grew bigger still, a real smile that made his stomach flutter and his spirits lift. He was practically skipping to his car, nearly at the door he heard his name being called from behind him.

He turned back giving the Gorilla an apologetic smile which went unnoticed or ignored and saw a girl with dark blue hair walking towards him calmly. Again he felt the corners of his lips lift but with a feeling a unease that wasn't entirely uncomfortable. His eyes met her almond shaped ones and he found himself stuck. Kagami had a tendency to make him feel that way, ever since he had met her. She was tough, smart, and Ladybug forgive him, beautiful. He had always had a small crush on the blue haired girl that of course paled in comparison to his adoration of his superhero partner but was there none the less.

"Kagami," he greeted, taking a couple of steps toward her with a polite smile. He noticed that she hadn't changed out of her fencing uniform either, the blaring red a beacon to him.

"Agrest," she said in return with a slight nod of her head, "I don't mean to hold you up since I realize that your schedule is very tight but I wanted to congratulate you on your wins today."

A blush rose to his tan cheeks but he forced himself to ignore the sensation, hoping that she didn't notice. A small almost nonexistent smile graced Kagami's pretty face and he knew that she had. He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck subconsciously.

"Thank you," he managed, his voice perfectly even. Mentally he congratulated himself on his marvelous performance, "It was just luck."

"Don't do that," she said harshly and Adrien felt his mouth open in shock, "If you beat me its because of your skill not some sill superstitious concept. You're a good fencer Adrien."

She looked angry, but Adrien had grown to know that that wasn't entirely true. Kagami struggled to express herself as she had had a similar upbringing to Adrien. She too was homeschooled for a long while and her social skills suffered for it. He related to her in a way that was difficult to express and so he was understanding of her aggressive behavior. It just meant she liked you.

_Not in that way_, he thought and his spirit sank a bit. Sure he loved his Lady but, Kagami was slowly making his way into his heart as time went by. What was it about him that turned off the women that he so desired? Yes there were thousands of girls who would give an arm and a leg to date him but Adrien was a simple boy and he didn't want to just date anyone. He wanted one of two girls and neither would have him.

"Thanks Kagami," he said laying a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezing it. To Adrien's astonishment, a light blush graced her cheeks and she looked away, trying to hide it. Could she possibly be noticing him as well?

Then in an instant, it was gone and her stone cold look of determination came back full force and his hope sank. She didn't remove his arm as she reached up and covered his hand with her own. Adrien felt butterflies erupt in his stomach at the contact.

"No problem," she said then paused as if thinking, "Well I should let you go." Adrien's heart sank a bit but he nodded then with a quick bow of the head, he turned around and got into his car. Just as he was about to close the door he heard his name being called again. Once again he turned in the direction of the sound expecting to see Kagami but instead he saw his three friends. He ignored the slight disappointment that can only come with affairs of the heat and focused on the happiness of seeing the most supportive and loving people he knew.

"Yo Agrest," Alya yelled again even though she clearly had his attention. He chuckled watching her drag Marinette by the bicep towards him. While it made him a bit sad to see that he didn't want to go talk to him of her own accord, part of him was always amused at how she grew a bit fidgety when he was in the general vicinity. He had decided long ago that he wanted to rid her of her, however adorable, stutter and he wanted to make her feel comfortable but it proved difficult when he was Adrien. Although, when he was Chat Noir, she lost both qualities and even gained a bit of sass that gave him a rush of… something that felt incredibly like pleasure. He realized pretty quickly that he didn't want Marinette to lose her quirk. As much as he loved the sassy and confident Mari, he also enjoyed this version of her. The version that tripped over her own shoes and blushed at the drop of a dime. The version that couldn't meet him in the eyes for long and smiled wider than he thought humanly possible. There was something about her that made Adrien feel at ease and happy.

"Hey guys, thank you so much for coming to watch today," he said as they neared the car. Nino was glancing over his shoulder with a confused look, completely ignoring the girls as he got closer. Adrien tried to follow his gaze but he found his view obstructed by Alya's head.

He jumped back in surprise before he very deliberately and cautiously kissed him once on each cheek. Adrien returned the gesture, albeit a bit confused, then turned to Marinette and leaned in to do the same. The reaction was near instantaneous. Marinette's pale skin turned Ladybug red under his lips and she froze. Adrien vaguely registered the stiffness of her body as he pulled away. As soon as she was in his view again, she jumped back with a startled giggled, knocking into Nino who was still looking somewhere off to the left and stepping on his foot.

The DJ yelped in shock and sprung away from the girl as if she were on fire, clinging to his girlfriend for dear life. Marinette, turned on her heels and tried desperately to apologize to Nino but as she made to get closer, she tripped over, her right foot catching her left ankle.

Adrien reacted without thinking. He reached forward throwing his fencing mask and bag to the side and caught Marinette's hands pulling her upright. If she had been red before, it was nothing to the color she was now. Scarlet.

"Marinette, are you okay," he asked keeping his hands firmly in hers to make sure that she wouldn't fall over. He gazed at his friend with a worried expression, waiting for an answer. When a couple of seconds went by without one he turned to Alya, who had her phone up recording the encounter. Adrien sighed. He loved Alya, but he really did feel like she was a junior paparazzi sometimes. Alya had tons of embarrassing photos of him and Marinette on her phone. He dreaded the day that he got in an argument with her for fear of what she had on him.

"Ye-yeah," Marinette finally answered drawing his attention back to her. Her cheeks had calm down a bit but she seemed to be shaking under his touch. He took a curious step closer to her as if to examine her but he realized that it got worse so he quickly stepped back and broke the contact they had.

"You're fine," she said smiling up at him then her eyes shot open, wide with fear. Adrien crossed his arms smugly as he watched her back track. He knew what was going to come next and he always had to force himself to remain relaxed so as not to laugh at her. Adrien was not a mean person nor did he think anything bad of his classmate for the flustered state that she got in, but he damn well enjoyed it.

"I-I mean, I'm fine? Not that you aren't fine! I mean obviously you're fine," she corrected holding her hands up in defense, then her smile became rigid as she realized what she had spoken and it began again.

"Not fine as in like handsome! I mean fine as in like okay? Not that you aren't handsome, I mean you know you are right since you're a model and all…" Marinette clamped her mouth shut then covered it with both her hands. Silence hung in the air for all of three seconds before Nino burst out into hysterical laughter.

Three heads spun to look at him. Marinette looked mortified and Adrien let a slight uncomfortable look grace his features. Alya, looked murderous. When Nino caught sight of his girlfriend's expression, he sobered up instantly.

Alya crossed her arms expectantly at the dark skinned boy and he sheepishly turned towards Marinette, his smile equal parts apologetic and amused.

"Sorry Mari…"

"It's fine," Marinette began but Nino burst out laughing again. Alya gave him a look that could have killed ten men, let alone one teenage boy, but Nino was oblivious. Adrien couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's blindness. How could he miss what was right in front of him?

Alya clutched her temples and turned her back on the boy with an exasperated sigh, "Please excuse my idiot boyfriend. I'm going to take him away before he manages to stick his foot in his mouth so far in his mouth that it comes out of his ass."

Nino gave his girlfriend a petulant look before continuing to laugh. Alya rolled her eyes then took hold of Nino's arm. Turning over his shoulder she gave Marinette a pointed glance before turning to Adrien again.

"Great job out there today! Marinette just wanted to," she shot another glance at her best friend, "_give you something_. Right Mari?"

Without waiting for an answer, she pushed her boyfriend away from the two teens who watched them go with two completely different expressions.

Adrien turned back to Marinette, happy to see that she had calmed down. He could tell she was a little bit embarrassed still but she quite obviously pushed through it to look directly at him.

Adrien held back a gasp. He was always struck dumb by Marinette's blue eyes. It felt like every time that he didn't look, they got bluer and bluer. He tended to attribute it to the blue eyes of Ladybug. Marinette had very similar eyes and sometimes it made him forget that Marinette was not in fact his lady but his princess.

"I just wanted to say," five words without a hint of a stutter. Adrien was proud of her and smiled willing her to continue.

Marinette seemed to shrink into herself and Adrien let his shoulders fall, disappointment filling him once again. He fought to keep his smile in place though as he watched her regain her confidence.

She let out a long deep breath before looking at him again, squeaking softly then holding out a rolled up white roll of fabric. Adrien blinked at her, not having noticed that she had been holding the a for mentioned item until right then. He opened his mouth to say something but Marinette beat him to the punch.

"Good…job today. You- you're really good at-at fencing."

Adrien felt his cheeks heat up a little. It was common. He got easily flustered around the blue haired girls in his life. Of course, he liked to think that it had to do with his insatiable love for Ladybug but it was a little hard to think about that when all he could see before him was an ocean of blue, or the determination and skill of a warrior.

"Thank you Marinette," he managed looking at the fabric, "What is this?"

Marinette chanced another glance at him again and held his gaze. A spark of determination flared behind her irises and Adrien struggled to keep his expression neutral.

"The ba-banner that Alya, Nino and I made for you," she answered then the determination was gone and Adrien recognized the start of her floundering once again.

"That is, if you want to keep it! I mean why would you want to? Right? I just thought you might but it's kind of lame and what would you even do with it anyway-"

"Marinette," Adrien said gently, placing a hand on the roll of fabric, pulling it down a bit so he could better see her face, "I love it. I was going to talk to you about keeping it tomorrow actually."

Marinette's face suddenly took on a happy glow and Adrien was glad to see how his admission had made her feel better. It boggled him how Marinette could think that anything she made ever was lame. He was seriously considering commissioning her to make him a new jacket for everyday wear.

"Oh well then I guess you don't have to anymore," she said laughing between words softly as if every one of them were equally funny.

"Yeah I guess not," that was when the Gorilla honked his horn and Adrien and Marinette jumped. Adrien stepped on his fencing mask, losing his balance and toppling forward. Marinette squawked, flailing her arms to try to regain her balance but it was no use. Adrien wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to twist around so he would hit the ground first but the sensation ended and Adrien forced his eyes to open.

He was still standing, thought he was hunched over, nearly bent I half. Marinette hand somehow managed to keep them upright, wrapping her own arms around his head, which was currently resting on her chest. Adrien gasped when their eyes met, panic was clear in her eyes but Adrien couldn't move.

She stared back at him, indecision evident all over her face. The Gorilla honked again and that brought them out of their stupor. Adrien let go of Marinette and jumped away, trying to keep his skin its natural color and not the color of a tomato, but he could feel that he was failing.

"A-anyway, I should probably get going," Adrien said wincing at his new stutter, "I have to do you and it might take all night." His eyes widened in absolute panic. Had he just said that? Had he…just… said that?

"No! Oh God I meant I have a lot of homework to do and it might take all night, be-because, it's a lot and its very hard."

Marinette was steadily turning reader and reader as he went on. He tried again to fix his faux pas but it just made it worse.

"I mean it's difficult! The homework! It difficult and I still have a Chinese girl to do-" His heart seemed to flat line. Was this how Marinette felt when she said things like this? Adrien would have to reconsider his previous notion of it being amusing.

"I meant a Chinese lesson! Oh you know what, I'm going to go! Thanks for the Marinette, banner. I mean banner, Mariette!"

Adrien wished with every fiber of his being that the ground would open up and swallow him whole, but of course, it didn't. Instead, he was firmly seated in his car driving away from the scene of the crime, with the banner firmly in his hands.

Plagg flew out of his pocket as soon as the divider for the car was up. Cackling like a mad man.

"Way to go, suave super model, Adrien Agrest. Looks like you're finally living up to your stereotype kid!"

Adrien buried his face in the fabric with a horrified whine. Plagg continued to tease him the whole way to his house. Adrien let him as he didn't trust his tongue to work the way he wanted it to. When he was finally in his room after his Chinese lesson, he lay in his bed confused and newly embarrassed again. Every time that he let his mind wonder, it stopped right on the moment after he had started to stammer. Marinette's shocked face was engraved in his thoughts. Had he offended her? He hoped not. Maybe he should go ask her?

"Adrien," Plagg's voice drifted through his hazy brain and he rolled over and buried hi face in his pillow as if that would erase the call.

"Adrien," Plagg said again and this time he groaned.

"Yes?"

"You're late to meet Ladybug," he said almost as if he didn't care and Adrien shot up from his mattress like a lightning bolt.

"Late! Plagg why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Well you seemed a little bit caught up with thinking about your Princess and her assets," Plagg said as Adrien jumped to his feet. His face paled when he realized what His Kwami had said. Instantly, the picture of his head against her chest came up in his mind's eye and the blush returned full force.

"I-I was not!"

Plagg crossed his tiny arms over his chest with a smirk and zoomed around Adrien's head as if trying to take in every aspect of his holder's appearance.

"Then why is it that you're as red as a Ladybug?"

Adrien scowled. He wasn't the kind of person to lash out, as Adrien had been raised better than that but his Kwami really did test him sometimes.

"Plagg we don't have time for this! Ladybug is waiting for us," he almost yelled not looking his smug Kwami in the eye.

"Claws out," he said in the same tone of voice and he felt the transformation flood his system like warm water on a cold day_. Plagg was just being a jerk_, he thought, _I'm respectful and I do not like Marinette._

Suddenly a voice that sounded remarkably like Plagg's cackled in his head and his heart sank.

_**Kid, I never said that you liked her. Just that you had your head in the gutter.**_

Adrien had forgotten that Plagg could hear what he was thinking when he was transformed. He suddenly became uncomfortable, realizing that he was going to have to keep his thoughts as far away from Marinette and their… predicament as he could. Usually, Plagg was pretty good about not intruding in his thoughts as they tended to be about Ladybug, but he had some sort of obsession with Marinette and his theory that Adrien had a crush on her. He had a pretty clear view that his Kwami wasn't going to leave his thoughts to himself this time.

Chat Noir vaulted from his open window, to the nearest roof, his Vaulting was second nature after all this time and he barely had to think in order for him to get his baton to do what he wanted it to do.

He jumped over a familiar building and almost crashed into a chimney. He managed to stop himself on the same roof that he had almost crashed to be able to see what he had thought he had seen. Chat was almost positive he had caught a glimpse of bright red in one of the windows. Hidden in the shadows, he watched. Vaguely, he knew that he shouldn't be. What kind of a creep watches someone in the privacy of their room?

Then it appeared again. The flash of red. The window dead in the middle of the huge house was now thrown open. It was a cold house, much like his own. Big and extravagant but very much empty save for the two occupants who resided inside. He had only been to this house a handful of times, but he knew it well. He knew that Kagami lived in it with her blind mother by herself. He knew that the only person her age that lived with here was Kagami herself, yet there she stood. Ladybug. With the window of Kagami's room thrown wide open and her yoyo resting in her hand ready to throw.

With a last look back into the lit room, Ladybug closed the window and threw the yoyo into the night sky and disappeared in the direction of their meeting place. Chat Noir stood still for what felt like years. He watched her grow smaller as she got farther away from the house, her house. Kagami's house. Ladybug's house. Kagami…was Ladybug…

Chat Noir shook is head as if to clear his completely dumbfounded and blank thoughts, then deciding that it wouldn't do well to make her wait, he vaulted after her. Kagami. Ladybug. They were one and the same.

Chat found a small smile growing on his lips at the thought. He could almost make out Plagg screaming in the farthest corner of his mind but it was quiet, almost non existant, and Chat didn't exactly care. Ladybug was Kagami. Chat had fallen in love with her twice. Today had been a good day. Black Cat bad luck be damned. With that last thought, he zoomed off to meet his Lady. Kagami Tsurugi.


	2. Who's watching Marinette?

AN: Here is part two. I decided to continue. I got some questions as to how Adrien didn't remember Riposte or if that didn't happen in this time line. While this story continues it will be answered I promise. Thank's for the follows, reviews and comments! Please keep it up!

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Alya, Nino and Marinette watched as Kagami strode up to Adrien Agreste as if she owned him. Her hips swayed slightly more than absolutely necessary, and her red fencing uniform shone, pulling attention to her toned body. It was hard to miss the way that Adrien flushed as she spoke to him. He was standing rigidly straight and his eyes never left hers. They may as well be the only people in the world at that moment.

Marinette felt as if she was intruding in a private moment. She had the rolled up banner under her arm, ready to tell Adrien what a great job he had done that day but it looked like it wouldn't have mattered if she had shown up or not. She glanced at her friends who were glaring at the girl in red. Nino had an arm around Alya's waist holding her close to him. Marinette didn't blame him. Alya looked like she was ready to punch someone.

Nino's glare turned into a frown and Marinette forced her eyes back to the object of her affection despite knowing she would regret it. Adrien had his hand on Kagami's shoulder, his smile, so genuine that it radiated sunshine. Kagami was holding his hand in place on her uniform. They couldn't see her face but they could wager that she was smiling as well. How could she not? She had the undivided attention of one Adrien Agreste.

It felt as if a knife had been stabbed through Marinette's stomach, twisting slowly as the small encounter continued. She turned away, determined to simply go home and pretend that the day hadn't happened but an arm on her bicep stopped her.

Alya was holding her in place with a determined look. Marinette began to fight against her but the blogger was surprisingly strong and Marinette couldn't get away. She heard Alya call out to Adrien, noticing that he was alone again but she had no desire to talk to him right then. She was a little hurt and frankly, she needed some space to clear her head. She had no claim over Adrien, she had barely become a closer friend to him. She had no right to feel this way.

Sure, Marinette had spent all night working on the banner, initially intending to embroider her design onto it since it would last longer and look nicer but, but when she had finished with the pun that Nino had insisted on using as he said Adrien would absolutely love it, she realized that perhaps embroidering wasn't her best option. It was time consuming and would never be done in time, so with a sigh she had switched tactics and brought out her acrylic paints to add the bodies of the people fencing with fences. Still, it didn't mean that she had gotten much sleep. She stressed over every little detail of the banner endlessly only stopping when Tikki had come up to her after taking a nap and insisting that she sleep too as it was three in the morning and she was going to have to be exhausted when her mother came to fetch her in a couple of hours.

Marinette had argued for a bit but after scrutinizing over her work only a minute more, she realized that she could leave it as is and be relatively happy with it. When she closed her eyes, it felt like it had been two seconds after she had closed them. She considered pretending to be sick in order to sleep in just a little while longer but when Tikki whispered in her ear that today was Adrien's open practice, she had jumped out of her covers and pulled her hair into her signature hair style.

She was so used to running around in the morning that she didn't even stop to check her clock. She had made it to school on time, early even. Alya was shocked to see her run through the door, breathing heavily, her face shinning with a light sheen of sweat. Marinette looked around the classroom and felt her shoulders slump.

"Am I not late," she asked walking to her friend who was obviously struggling to hold back a giggle.

"Girl you beat Adrien to class," she managed.

Marinette sat next to Alya with a huff and waited impatiently for the rest of the class to get there. When Adrien walked in, he seemed sad. His face was a perfect blank slate but Marinette could almost feel his emotions bleeding off of his body, like heat radiating from his skin.

She had wanted to ask if he was okay but found that her tongue refused to cooperate that day. She had made so much progress in the last couple of years with him but still she fell into her old patterns depending on the day.

Class went by excruciatingly slow but when lunch came around and her maman insisted on having her friends over, she couldn't help but feel that it was worth it. Yes, her maman had fussed over Adrien. No, Marinette was not embarrassed for that reason. As she watched her mom serve Adrien over and over again, Alya had whispered some words of encouragement to her. Seeing Adrien so genuinely happy with her family made Marinette thing that he would fit in nicely in their everyday dynamic. She dearly hoped that he hadn't noticed.

Finally, they had left for school again with some bakery goods and Marinette couldn't help the smile that was permanently stuck to her face. Adrien seemed so much happier than he had the day before at the notion that his dad wouldn't go see him. She struggled to hold in her excitement. If he was happy now, he was sure to be happy when the three of them, Alya, Nino and herself, showed up to cheer him on.

The day ended unceremoniously. Marinette bolted out of the classroom at lightning speed in order to collect the banner from her room. She had no problems for once, checking both sides of the road before crossing. She dashed up the stairs giving her parents a very brief explanation as she was heading out again. If they had protests, Marinette didn't hear them. They couldn't be late for this.

They had been late for Adrien's practice. No matter how fast Marinette ran, she knew she probably would be, as it began right after school and it took about five minutes for all the fencers to change and gather in the gym. Alya and Nino were waiting patiently by the front door of the school, chatting animatedly. When Alya caught sight of her best friend, she smiled and turned to Nino to point it out. They smiled knowingly at her but Mariette was too busy rushing into the gym at the speed of light.

Alya and Nino followed with a chuckle, holding hands. They found seats fairly close to the front. Chairs had been set up around the perimeter of the gym and parents and family members were already sitting patiently waiting for their kids to begin. Adrien caught sight of them as soon as they had walked in. He smiled brightly and waved. Marinette blushed so profusely that she was almost steaming. Quickly, Alya and Nino grabbed a corner of the banner each and held it up so he could see it. Adrien almost fell over with his laughter, catching his leg as he ran a lap. M. D'Argencourt had yelled at him to get his head in practice, which made the teens a bit sheepish.

Adrien had given them a thumbs up which made them relax a bit, his eyes seemed to linger on Marinette. A part of her had hoped…wished, that maybe he had finally, finally noticed her but it was all dashed.

Here she stood, shifting her weight awkwardly from foot to foot as Alya complimented Adrien's performance. Marinette noticed that Nino was glancing off to the side, not saying anything. Marinette followed his gaze again. He was looking at Kagami's retreating form. She was far enough away that she couldn't hear them but close enough to see clearly what was going on.

Suddenly, Adrien leaned in towards her, and kissed each cheek. Marinette forced every fiber of her being to remain still. She was blushing, she knew but when she caught sight of Kagami's face, she couldn't help but feel smug. He hadn't kissed her.

Kagami had crossed her arms, continuing to watch their encounter. Marinette couldn't keep herself confident though. Her stutter had come back because of the brief contact. It was so bad that Nino had burst out laughing. Marinette made a mental note to smack him upside the head later. Thank God Alya had pulled him away.

This created a new problem. She was alone, with Adrien Agreste and her stutter. Yes, she was flustered, and the smug smile he had been giving her was too much for her to handle. In that moment she was forced to admit what she already knew but didn't like to think about. Adrien was not only handsome, he was hot, and he wanted to keep the banner?

That on its own had her feeling a bit off balanced. Adrien Agreste wanting anything that she made, had her feeling a bit woozy but adding in an unexpected car honking, her clumsiness and a fencing mask, and it was a recipe for disaster.

If she was the embodiment of good luck, she would sure hate to be Chat Noir. Adrien's face was nuzzled between her breasts, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, hers loosely hung around his head, keeping him there. When his eyes met hers, she felt as if she could die, right then and there of pure embarrassment.

Another honk made them wake up. Marinette let go of Adrien's head as if scalded and Adrien jumped back as far away from her as he possibly could, picking up his things. What happened next left Marinette both stunned and a bit…confused?

Adrien tried to speak to her but Marinette realized that he was blowing it, Marinette style. Only Adrien's style was a bit more mature. Marinette was practically as red as Nathaniel's hair as he indivertibly suggested that he was going to do some very specific things with her and a "Chinese girl". Marinette didn't trust herself to speak so, she listened with utter pity and shame as he fumbled to fix his words. She wanted to tell him it would be okay but couldn't make herself. When he finally left, she turned around, ready to go home and suffocate herself with cookies and milk when she noticed that Kagami was still watching.

Marinette waved at her but she huffed and walked away. A burst of confidence and smugness overtook her emotions. A small smile graced her lips and a strange sort of pride was radiating from her. Kagami clearly though of her as competition and that meant that maybe, she had a chance?

Even as she thought that, she felt ashamed. It would be easy for Kagami to get Akumatized again because of this brief victory on Marinette's part. Three times seemed a bit too much. She made up her mind to visit her that night.

That was how Ladybug had ended up in Kagami's house. Kagami was nowhere to be seen but her room window was wide open. Marinette sighed sadly. She would just have to wait and see if Kagami would be Akumatized thrice tomorrow. As she stood ready to leave and meet up with her flirty kitty, a loud crash caught her attention.

She hesitated on her spot. Maybe something bad was happening and they needed help? Marinette knew that Kagami's mom was blind and as strong willed as Kagami was, Marinette knew that she would be no match for a robber.

Reluctantly, she yoyoed her way to the open window. She landed on the small balcony with a soft thud. Carefully, she stepped into the darkened room, her alert on high, her yoyo ready to be used as a weapon.

She fumbled around on the walls for a light switch. After what felt like hours she felt a small button under her glove. She clicked it and a bright yellow light lit up. Her eyes went wide. The room was almost as big as Adrien's. her bed was on a pedestal and what looked like a glass waterfall stood behind it in dark brown wood. The room in general was decorated with Japanese inspired décor. Cherry blossom murals were painted on the walls and red framed the wooden floor. There was a small table that nearly rested on the floor entirely, a tea set placed in the center with Japanese characters that Marinette couldn't understand. That was where she saw the cause of the noise she had heard. The tea pot had fallen and collapsed to the floor, shattering into a million tiny pieces.

She let her shoulders relax a bit looking around at the room before her again. Had it just fallen? Had someone pushed it over? Was there someone hiding in the room? Marinette didn't know. She contemplated checking the different parts of the room just to make sure but decided that would be invasive. Instead she gave the room a final once over and turned back around ready to leave the room. She only stopped to turn the lights off again then she was outside on the small balcony again.

Fresh air filled her lungs and she just then realized that she hadn't been breathing correctly while she was in the Ice Queen's room. A relieved sigh escaped her slightly parted lips. She readied her yoyo so she could leave but a slight uneasy feeling swirled in her stomach. As if someone was watching her. Her neck and back prickled. In an instant she decided to feign innocence and threw the yoyo in the direction of the Eiffel Tower, where she was meant to meet Chat Noir and zipped away. She had a feeling that tonight might be an eventful night Akuma wise.

When she arrived at the Eiffel tower and saw that Chat Noir was nowhere to be seen, she let herself collapse to her knees. Something felt a bit off but she couldn't exactly put her finger on what that was exactly. In the span of two seconds, her Kitty was standing before her, his eyes glimmering with what Marinette thought was maybe…happiness? He crossed his arms as his eyes met hers and watched his smirk slip away. She squinted at him in confusion but pushed it aside to greet him.

"Good evening Chat Noir," she said standing up and mimicking his position. Chat glanced at her body slowly. Bewilderment was building steadily on his face.

"Good evening My lady," he replied slowly, like his lips were swollen and hard to move. Marinette squinted at him and took a step closer to her partner, tilting his chin up to make him look at her face. She had never thought of Chat as disrespectful, quite the opposite really. Chat Noir was the epitome of a gentleman second only to Adrien on the basis of uncalled for flirting that Chat did. Tonight was doing nothing to further his image in Marinette's mind. He was swaying closer on the F-boy side of the spectrum at this moment in time.

Chat blushed as he realized what he had been doing and smiled sheepishly at her. Marinette raised an eyebrow at him and he scratched his neck.

"Sorry about that LB," he said not offering a further explanation. She waited, hoping for more but when he made no other sounds, she let go of his chin and took a couple of self-conscious steps back.

She glanced around at the tower they were standing on, the lights of Paris surrounding their bodies, only cut by the metal of the tower's design. Marinette glanced at her partner again. He was no longer watching her. He seemed to be deep in thought, staring at his shoes. A small frown plagued his handsome features. The confusion in Marinette's body shifted to worry. Had something happened? Her partner was acting strange.

"So," she said and the noise seemed to cut through the tension that she hadn't been aware was surrounding them, "I'll take the east side of Paris and you take the West?"

Chat Noir snapped his attention to her, his eyes focused on her own. She had the feeling that she was being evaluated. Like he was trying to desperately memorize every single feature of her body. Discomfort suddenly flooded her, a feeling that had never been present with her kitty. Even if he flirted relentlessly, he never crossed the invisible line that she had drawn. He was always respectful and stepped back if he was pushing it too much. Even though he had barely spoken that night, she felt as if he was watching her shower. His gaze felt invasive, and unwelcome.

"Yeah," he said slowly, not leaving her gaze, "Meet up here after?"

Marinette considered him for a second. Maybe if he got some time alone he would go back to her playful and gentlemanly kitty? Something in her stomach protested against the idea of seeing him again that night. If there was an Akuma, she could always transform once more but a prolonged visit with him that night was the last thing she wanted. Something had shifted in their relationship in the span of a minute and she needed to get away. Needed time to think.

"Uh," she said turning her back on her partner, "No, I actually don't have much time tonight. When you're done, go ahead and head home and call me. We can exchange reports. I have, a lot of," Marinette's brain whirled trying to think up an excuse to feed him, "stuff to do."

She cringed, grateful that he couldn't see her face. She only waited a couple of seconds more expecting him to agree with her but he was silent, and her unease grew. Her previous notion of it being an eventful night came back to her. Could Chat Noir be Akumatized? She shook the thought from her head. She would know. He would actively be trying to get her miraculous and he hadn't even made a move that hinted at that possibility.

Without another word, she swung her yoyo in the direction of her bakery. She had no intention of patrolling. A voice in her head, chastised her for dropping her duties as Ladybug but she didn't feel safe all of a sudden. The feeling of being watched intensified when she landed on her balcony. Panic filled her to the brim. She couldn't detransform if someone was looking.

"Calm down LB," she said out loud, "you're being paranoid," and maybe she was. A quick search around her home proved that no one was hiding in the shadows but the feeling didn't fade. She chalked it up to her strange uneasiness from earlier and cautiously said her magic words.

Light flashed around her and the red and black spotted suit was gone, in its place was her usual everyday outfit. Tikki flew out of her earrings with a small flourish. Her energy clearly full. She gave her charge a questioning look but said nothing.

"I'm sorry Tikki, I just feel a little bit off," Tikki tilted her head at Marinette.

"How so," she asked and Marinette sighed.

"I don't know…something felt wrong with Chat Noir…and when I went to Kagami's house, I felt like someone was watching me, but I didn't see anyone."

A finger made its way to Marinette's chin, her bottom lip between her teeth. The prickling of eyes on her spine did not dissipate as she sat on her chair. Tikki sat on Marinette's shoulder, positioning herself close to her ear and pig tails.

"Do you think maybe there's an Akuma," Tikki suggested prying at one of the rubber bands holding her hair up. After struggling for a bit, the pig tail fell from it's grasp covering the small red Kwami with her dark hair.

"Tikki, what are you doing," Marinette asked feeling her Kwami burrow herself in her dark tresses.

"Look Marinette," the Kwami said running one small hand through the hair, "I'm not saying that you're crazy and I'm not saying that you're right and someone is watching us but I think that taking some precautions would be a good idea."

Marinette reached up to her remaining pig tail and tugged on it restraint, letting it fall around her neck. A small dent was evident on the short strands but she didn't mind much. She ran her hand through it so as to separate the strands so stiff from the constant restraint.

"I understand Tikki, but we could have easily gone inside-"

"Is that an invitation, Princess?"

Marinette jumped in her lawn chair nearly toppling it over. A single clawed hand held onto the arm rests keeping it up.

"Chat," she whispered, barely managing the sound, her heart was thumping painfully against her ribs.

"Bonjour ma princesse," he breathed back leaning close to her face, no hint of abashment present in his features.

Marinette blinked at their proximity. She could feel his breaths on her cheek and his body heat was clear between them. She couldn't help but wonder if he was always like this with everyone. Constantly in their space and overly affectionate. Was she the only one with a pet name? Or were there millions of "Princesses" all over Paris?

"Bonjour," she relented in a voice a bit stronger than the one before. He jumped back at bit when she spoke but smiled fondly.

"Who were you talking to?"


	3. Disappointment

AN: Chapter three y'all! So sorry for the wait. If you are reading any of my other MLB stories i apologize but i haven't had time or Inspo. i'll get to them eventually though. This chapter is a kind of cute i think and it sets up the basis for this story. get ready because here we go. Thank you again for all the reviews and follows and favorites! I love getting feed back. It's the reason this story i so easy to write!

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"Ta-taling to," Marinette yelled as if her scream could shield her from the reality of what was happening. possibilities were reeling through her head. If Chat had seen her talking to a floating red bug mouse then there was a solid chance that he would put the dots together. She studied his face and realized that his smirk was still present but no surprise was visible.

"Yeah," he said matter of factly, "Who's Tikki?"

Marinette's face flushed red and the small bug in her hair stiffened and accidentally pulled on one of the hairs on the nape of her neck. Instinctively, her arms went up to the nape of her neck, smacking Adrien's chin in the process. He jumped back holding his chin and letting the lawn chair go. Marinette felt gravity pulling her down once again, this time with no salvation in sight.

Adrien watched the chair fall as if in slow motion. He rushed forward to try to catch her once again but missed. Instead, he tripped over the now exposed leg of the chair and fumbled over the edge. His body landed on something soft, his elbows hitting the hard ground of the bakery balcony. He groaned before letting his arms fall flat and limp. A dull pain raced up his arms.

"Ow," he heard from under him and he realized that the soft thing that was in fact the friend that he had been trying to save. His eyes grew wide when he finally glanced upon her face but Marinette simply smiled up at him as if amused. Her flustered self was gone once more and the confident girl that Adrien had met as his super hero self was present once again. How she could shift from one extreme to the next was beyond Adrien's knowledge. Sure he had his own duel personality but he struggled to keep his Chat side under wraps as Adrien. It was astonishing for him to see Confident Marinette so soon after Shy Marinette.

He adored Confident Mari. She teased him relentlessly about his love for Ladybug, she was sassy and smart and, may his lady forgive him, attractive. She was the girl that Adrien so helplessly wanted to gain friendship from on the first day of school. He had to admit, had he not become Chat that day and met the love of his short life, he may have grown a small crush on the girl. Sadly, that day did happen, and he had met Ladybug, and she had stolen his affection deprived heart. Marinette grew very distant after their first meeting. She stuttered constantly around him and thus Shy Mari came into fruition.

While there was nothing wrong with Shy Mari, Adrien had to admit that he didn't have the same connection with her as he did with her confident alter ego. She was sweet enough, always going out of her way to try to make him feel included but he could tell he made her uncomfortable. He had attributed it to his friendship with her bully and he couldn't blame her. He too would be weary of himself if he was in her shoes.

"I-I'm so sorry," he managed to say scrambling off of her like she was on fire. Marinette watched him get off of her with a smug smile. She sat up, rainbowing her legs off of the chair and pushing herself to a standing position. Again Adrien couldn't help but be surprised at how swiftly she moved when she wasn't around his civilian self. It was unnerving really.

"Don't worry about it Kitty," she answered crossing her arms and shacking her hair as if to put it into place, "I'm used to being in… compromising positions," she winked.

Adrien felt his cheeks heat up. What was that supposed to mean? Who was she in compromising potions with? What was she talking about? If someone was hurting his princess he would make sure that they would pay. No one was allowed to make her feel like situations such as the ones that just happened were normal. Yes, him and LB had gotten themselves into some situations such as these but they were fighting Akumas and sometimes things just happened. He was always carful to get off of her as soon as he could and to apologize profusely for the circumstances. Marinette was a civilian and if a boy was making her uncomfortable and pushing her boundaries, he would personally put a stop to it.

Marinette's eyes widened when she caught his eye and instantly she put both her hands up as if to protect herself.

"I just mean that since I'm clumsy, I fall a lot and sometimes I make people trip as well and they end up falling over me as well and…" She paused seeming to realize that she was rambling. Taking a deep breath she met his eyes and Adrien noticed that she too was blushing.

"I didn't mean that in a bad way. It just sort of came out that way."

Adrien nodded, still feeling that there was something she wasn't saying. He decided not to push it but simultaneously, he decided to keep an eye on her from then on.

"So," he said desperate to shift the conversation to a safer topic, "Who is Tikki then? An imaginary friend?"

He let the teasing tone he tended to take with her slip into his voice, as signal that everything was okay on his end. Her blue eyes widened for a second before she reached for the nape of her neck once again.

"Ye-yeah," she conceded suddenly, surprising Adrien. She seemed embarrassed about her admission and he wondered whether he should have just left the subject alone.

"Well no… not exactly imaginary," She said and Adrien glanced up intrigued, "She's this little alley cat that somehow finds her way up to my balcony every now and then."

"Oh," he said relaxing, "Princess. I'm hurt. I thought I was the only alley cat that was allowed on your balcony."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Chat Noir, but she was here before you were," she chuckled softly. A noise that sent a pleasurable chill up his spine.

He was about to protest or feign a heart injury when she continued to speak, "Though I will say that you are the only talking cat I'll let into my room," she turned on her heels and opened her trap door. Before disappearing down the hatch she waved him over and he followed her happily.

Once inside, he perched himself on her desk chair while she sat on the floor. A ball of light blue yarn was on her lap along with a pink crochet needle. The color sparked recognition in his head but he couldn't quite place it. Maybe he had seen that color on her before? He looked at Marinette up and down but saw no blue on her person aside from her eyes. Adrien guessed that it was her eyes and maybe Ladybug's eyes that the color of the yarn reminded him of.

"What are you working on princess," he asked, leaning his elbows on his knees and rolling closer to her to get a better look. The stich was close together and it looked very soft. He knew nothing about crocheting but he could tell that she was quite good at it. He wondered, if he asked her, would she crochet him something? Marinette had always been very talented and he couldn't think of a better person to get handmade clothes from. She always seemed to put her every effort into it.

"A beanie," she said simply, sticking the hook into the last loop and continuing her pattern. He watched her work transfixed. She made it look easy, and fun but he knew that if he tried, he would probably get tangled in the soft yarn.

"A beanie? For yourself or is it for one of your friends? A boyfriend perhaps?"

Marinette snapped her eyes up to him surprising Adrien a bit. She looked sheepish and Adrien's heart sank. Did Marinette have a boyfriend that he didn't know about? Was he s unimportant in her life that her relationships weren't something that she could talk to him about? Yes, he conceded. Adrien was of very little importance to Marinette. He was a simple acquaintance. Bitterness seeped into his heart and he fought to keep his expression playful. He would have to talk to her more.

"Not for me no. Yes you could say he's my friend, and no not exactly a boyfriend." Adrien's heart lightened a bit. At least he wasn't that far behind. Marinette having a crush wasn't as big of a deal as her starting a new relationship. He was still in time to fix that aspect of their friendship. Adrien wanted to be like the brother that Marinette didn't have. He would protect her above all and if anyone hurt her, they would have him to answer to.

"What do you mean not exactly? He either is or isn't. Who's the lucky guy that has you slaving away?"

She wrinkled her nose at him, then looked back down at her work, seemingly deciding that it wasn't good enough, she unraveled multiple rows of chains then started again. Adrien was fascinated. He would have never even had known that anything was wrong with it but to Marinette's trained eye, it seemed to have some mistakes.

"I wouldn't say slaving Chat," she said as she continued to work, "I want to do it, so I find it fun."

"That doesn't change the fact that you are up at this time of night, " he said looking around for a clock and finding one on her desk. It read midnight.

"Oh I'm always up at this time. I usually go to sleep at around two," she said offhandedly. Adrien let an amused smile grace his face. No wonder his princess was constantly late to school.

"Shouldn't you get your beauty sleep," he asked pushing the chair to twirl around.

"I don't need beauty sleep to be beautiful," she said with a chuckle, "anyway, he doesn't exactly know I have a crush on him but he's just the sweetest guy."

Adrien stopped twirling, his head tilted trying to think of who Marinette was talking about. She did talk to almost everyone in their year but he had never noticed her acting strange around anyone but himself. In fact, she seemed extra confident with any other boy. Even Nino who had even had a massive crush on her and Nathaniel who had kidnapped her because he wanted a date with her. Was it possible for her to like either of them two? They were friends, so it was a possibility.

"Do you go to school with this boy," Adrien asked suddenly very interested in finding out who it was that was worthy of a princess's heart.

"Maybe I do," she said finishing off another row of stiches.

"Come on princess," Adrien begged pretending to fall at her feet, "Don't leave this cat hanging! I need to know who to protect you from."

"Okay Chat Noir," said Marinette placing her work down and laughing at the boy with blond hair, "I think you're taking this whole princess and knight thing a bit far. You do know that I am not in fact a princess right?"

Adrien rolled over to her lap and lay his head on her pink clad legs. Marinette instantly began to mess with his hair, scratching behind his ears. Adrien felt a strong purr begin to rise from his chest. He felt so incredibly content in that moment that he forgot that he was having a conversation. After a few seconds of indulgent relaxation he sighed and forced his voice to work.

"I beg to differ," he sighed contently, "Only a princess could tame a ferocious beast like me."

Marinette laughed loudly at that. Adrien reveled in the sensation of her body shacking with mirth especially when it was him who caused such a feat.

"Why are you laughing princess," she said through chuckles before sitting up to see her wiping tears from her cheeks, "What's so funny!?"

It wasn't for another couple of minutes that she managed to say anything. Those few minutes in which Adrien watched her laugh and smile with his own happiness. Her cheeks were red and all of her teeth were visible. Her short hair bobbed as her body did. Adrien realized that he had never seen her hair down like this and found that he wanted to see more of it. It suited her.

"Fer-ferocious…beast," she laughed heartily before slapping her knee. Her laughter began to fade and Adrien took the chance.

"Quite," he said, a sly look gracing his features, "Wanna know why?'

Marinette wiped another tear from her face and took a deep breath and a gulp of air to try to calm herself, "Why Chat Noir, are you classifying yourself as a ferocious beast?"

"See princess," he said slowly crawling closer to her, "I have these big green, feline like eyes, the better to see you at night with," he winked at her as her expression softened. She met his eyes curiously but did not move.

"And these black ear the better to hear you with," he continued. Suddenly, Marinette was resting against the chase. Her shoulders holding her up and her hands resting on her sides. Adrien was hovering over her, like the predator that he was. Her expression had shifted from confusion to worry. She watched him get closer and closer but did nothing to stop him.

"And these claws," he whispered in her ear, his body completely in line with her own. Marinette seemed to have frozen. Her eyes were wide and questioning, like she couldn't quite wrap her head around what was happening. Adrien smiled at her, his white teeth glimmering.

"What do you think these are for Marinette," he asked her holding a hand up to her face. She raised an eyebrow but before she even had a chance to say anything, Adrien beat her to it.

"These claws that I have," he paused for dramatic effect, "Are for tickling!"

He lowered his hand at a lightning speed, carefully using his claws to tickle her stomach. Marinette shrieked and frantically began to shoo his hands from her stomach but Adrien had speed on his side. He shifted from side to side to avoid her. She was laughing louder than before, kicking and struggling. Adrien giggled along with her.

He let his guard down. He shouldn't have. In the blink of an eye, Marinette had flipped them over, she had his arms pinned over his head and her legs straddled his abdomen. Adrien blinked up at her in shock. How had she done that?

"Not so cocky when you're not the one on top ey Chaton?" And there she was. Confident Mari. The one that made his heart skip a beat.

He opened his mouth uselessly for a couple of seconds before she reached down and snapped it shut for him.

"Close your mouth kitty, wouldn't want to catch any flies," she said shimming off of him. Adrien propped himself up on his elbows and watched her sashay away towards her closet. He gulped. Who knew Marinette could take his breath away the way she just had?

A sudden image of Marinette as Ladybug flashed in his minds eye but he quickly shook it away when he remembered what he had learned that day. He had already found out that Kagami was his Lady. A part of him was slightly disappointed. He partially wished for a second, and only for a second did he let his mind wonder there, that Marinette was Ladybug and that is was him for whom she was making that beanie.

"Anyway Chat Noir, as much as I enjoy your company and all that, did you have a reason for coming here or was this just a spur of the moment visit?"

Chat looked over at her once again, his body feeling ten degrees warmer when he saw her pull out a pair of pjs that were clearly too short and too tight. Had he gone to Marinette's house for a reason? Did he have something to talk about?

"I found out who Ladybug is," he heard his voice say and Marinette froze. She turned to look at him with an expression of forced calm that was evident even to him. The change in attituded confused him. He found his strength once again and stood wearily.

"You…you did," she asked. She sounded scared. Adrien wondered why that was. Marinette had no reason to act the way she was acting. Had he said something to set her off? Mentally, he went through all the things that he had said to her but nothing in particular stood out to him.

"Yeah," he confirmed suddenly not sure of what to say, "today actually. It was a bit obvious really. I don't know how I missed it," he finished. He wasn't about to tell her who he knew it was. Secret identities were still a thing and he had no reason to involved Marinette.

"Is-is that why you're here?"

Adrien looked up at her with pleading eyes. It had been bothering him. Yes, he saw Ladybug come out of Kagami's house. He had seen it with his own eyes and yet something wasn't sitting right with him. When he had met up with his lady earlier that night, he realized that Ladybug had blue eyes, not brown like Kagami's and her hair was a slightly different shade than her civilian self and even a bit longer. He wasn't sure if he had gotten it wrong or if maybe it was just a side effect of the transformation that she looked different. His own transformation shifted his appearance a bit so it wasn't so farfetched. Still something wasn't sitting right with him. Her personality changed so drastically as well that it may as well be a different person. He reasoned that that was a good cover. Kagami was a bit cold and distant, but he knew that deep down she cared about him and Paris could be something else that she cared about as well.

"Sort of," he relented sitting on her chase cross legged as she disappeared into the closet. He shrugged but continued to talk.

"I just don't really know how to deal with this information. I wanted to know who she was for so long and now that I do," he stopped talking realizing where his thoughts were leading him. It was horrifying to learn that he had been wrong. He'd promised to love whomever was under that spotted mask the first time that they had met but now that he knew it was Kagami, he was let down.

"I'm disappointed…" he finished, whispering this for his own sake. Just then the door to the closet opened and out came a red faced Marinette. No emotion was present in her eyes and it scared Adrien. He had never seen her like this. Marinette was always chipper and happy. She was a ball of sunshine.

"You-you're…disappointed that…" she trailed off, her voice breaking on the last word. Tears sprung into her eyes. Adrien jumped to his feet not fully understanding why she was crying, but wanting to help all the same.

"Princess I-"

"Just go Chat Noir," she cut him off turning away from him. She crossed her arms over her chest. Her pink pjs clung to her body and her hair brushed her exposed shoulders. Adrien wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his arms and wipe the tears from her face. He took a step closer but Marinette took one away.

"I think you need to leave," she said her voice thick with sadness.

"But princess-"

"My name is Marinette," she said taking yet another step away from him, "and I want ot be alone."

"But I-"

"Go Chat Noir," she growled.

He retracted him outstretched hand as if burned. What had he done? Everything was fine a couple of minutes ago. Had he offended her in some way?

"Please leave," She begged as she began to climb the stairs to her bed slowly, "I don't feel like being around you."

A knife stabbed through his stomach at her words. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. He had messed up. It was clear, but what he had done was still as unclear as it could be. If she would only talk to him, maybe he could clear up whatever misunderstanding had just happened. He opened his mouth to speak again but a sob escaped Marinette, who was now tucked under her covers. He felt his heart shatter into a million pieces as the his first day of school seemed to replay before him.

Without a word, he used his staff to get up to the landing then without stopping he pole vaulted up onto her balcony.

"Goodnight prince- Marinette," he said. He waited for her to say something, anything but after a minute he realized that he wouldn't get anything so he turned, closed her hatch and vaulted away. That night, Adrien Agreste, did not sleep a wink and when six a.m came around, he sat up got ready and began the day with another fit of confusion and tears.


End file.
